Usual Life in Japan

Japanese Bamboo: from delicious dish to craft decoration

Bamboo is one of the signs of the arrival of spring. It grows super fast; nearly 1m per day at max!

Takenoko: baby bamboo

Upon arrival of the spring, bamboo fields will be filled with a bunch of shoots called ‘Takenoko’ and they will be a nice seasonal treat.

Takenoko, which literally means ‘baby bamboo’, are to be dug out when only the tip of the shoot are slightly seen. As they grow so fast, they will be too big and hard to eat maybe by next day.

You must be Preparation to eat

Takenoko has bitter and acridity taste when cooked by itself. To deliberately single out its sweetness in taste and delicacy in flavor, boil it with a handful of rice bran or a few pieces of red chili. Then unpleasant taste will be magically removed.

Simple is best

Ideally, it should be cooked as soon as it was dug out. You know, when it comes to seasonal food the freshness is all about!

Bamboo is reborn with changing shape

Bamboo trees are commonly used for making crafts by weaving thin bamboo strips.

They also make traditional toys

Taketombo: bamboo dragonfly

Taketombo have the same principle as a helicopter.Even children can easily fly.

Sudare: Bamboo roller blind

Bamboo roller blind would create breezy shades if you hung them by the window during the summer. The handy small rolling mat used to roll sushi is also made of bamboo originally!

If you visit traditional Japanese houses, you will find that bamboo is used partially, not really as building materials but rather as decoration or to give some twist into the space design.

It is also a well-known fact that Thomas Edison adopted a bamboo from Kyoto, Japan as filament for his incandescent lamp.

Kadomatu: the New Year’s decorative pine branches

Kadomatsu is the New Year’s decorative pine branches.

It is placed on both sides of the front entrance of a house during New Year’s holidays. It symbolizes longevity,prosperity and purity.

Bamboo is regarded as one of the auspicious items along with pine and plum in Japan. So it is an indispensable ingredient for the decoration to celebrate new year.